Lucy of Phantom Lord
by FeebleHearts
Summary: Inspired by a "What if Lucy joined Phantom Lord instead" posted by "love-lettcr" on Tumblr. Lucy is an Heiress on the run. Her dream has always been to be a mage in a famous guild... She has narrowed her choices down to Fairy Tail or Phantom Lord. We all know the story of what happens when Lucy joined Fairy Tail, but what if Phantom Lord found her first? - Told in drabbles.
1. When Lucy Missed the Light

That day in Hardgion, Lucy found something she had been dreaming of for years. A Nikora. Canis Minor. The little dog. Her excitement at finding a new celestial friend could not be overshadowed even though the merchant totally ripped her off. She would make a contract with the small spirit as soon as she found a place to stay for the night. Her mood soured only an eensy-bit she shuffled through her purse only to realize she was short on Jewel. If she were to stay anywhere without cockroaches, she wouldn't have enough to rent a closet.

She stomped her foot and huffed. She didn't think the hotel would go for her feminine wiles in the same way the shop owner had. They'd probably think she was a prostitute. And if she went to the sleazy hotel down near the docks… They would definitely assume she was a prostitute. It wouldn't be the first time she'd have to ask her spirits for help keeping watch during the night.

Head hung low, Lucy started to walk with blurred thoughts towards the bad side of town, oblivious of the man shooting purple flames, and especially ignoring the pink-haired idiot who thought said man was a dragon.


	2. Cockroaches and Gajeel

The hotel was worse than she imagined. When Lucy checked in, the guy behind the desk gave her a suggestive wink and she thought she heard him say that he'd be seeing her later. She hoped that she'd heard wrong. A shiver ghosted her spine when she unlocked the door, she felt watched. The sea air was chilly despite the warmth of the night, and Lucy was glad to have some form of shelter.

The bed had been coated in roaches. Big black and brown scuttling dung eaters all piled in the middle of the bed like some sort of nest. She couldn't hold back the vomit. Her cheap dinner filled the toilet as her stomach continued to churn when she came upon the dead rat in the bathtub. How was this place even open? Even a low-class prostitute wouldn't be caught dead in a place like this.

When the banging on her door started, Lucy wanted to find somewhere to hide. Was it the hotel manager? God, she hoped not. The man had been more disgusting than finding a bed full of bugs.

"Okay, Lucy. You're a mage now. Put on your big girl panties and check the door." The blonde celestial mage slowly approached the rotting wooden door to her room, surprised it wasn't splintering under the barrage of fists hitting it from the other side. "I've dealt with worse than this," she breathed.

"Who's there!" Lucy called as she approached the door.

A gruff voice replied from the other side, "I don't got time to explain, girly, open up!"

It wasn't the same as the hotel manager who'd checked her in. There wasn't a peephole, so she couldn't even check. The window was so sooty that she couldn't see anything that way either. She fingered Taurus's key that hung on her belt. He was a recent addition to her Celestial family. She found him when doing a small job for a farmer who was complaining about a giant bull scaring all his cows and was causing their milk production to go down. Taurus was the giant bull, of course.

Lucy made up her mind at the man on the other side of the door continued to pound. "I'm a mage," Lucy called. "No funny business!"

"Whatever just open up," he replied. The pounding stopped.

Lucy took a deep breath and opened her door to reveal a tall, heavily pierced man, with black hair down to his waist. His eyes were red. His face narrow, but handsome. He glared at her and frowned.

"Come on bunny girl, it's time to pack up and get out."

"What? Why?" Lucy's response was less than elegant as she stared open mothed and unblinking at her evening's intruder.

"Yer the only one in this shit hotel and it's set for demolition. Totomaru is anxious to get the blaze burning. Get your shit, and let's go."

"Oh good," she breathed, then muttered, "maybe the manager will burn with it, the slimeball." Lucy surprised herself. She usually wasn't one to wish bad on anyone. But the amount of disgusting and vomiting must have done something to her sensibilities.

The man chuckled. "I like ya Bunny. This you only bag?"

She nodded. They left together, Lucy trailing quietly behind. "My name's Lucy."

The man grunted then answered, "Gajeel."


	3. Let's Go Home

The man who Lucy assumed was Totomaru was playing with a ball of fire, tossing it from one hand to the other. His hair was interesting. At the part, one side was white and the other was black. The longer locks were tied up in a short tail while bangs fell across his face.

"Who's the girl, Gaj?" a smooth tenor asked.

"Lucy," she answered before Gajeel had a chance. She turned to the pierced man and added, "Thank you for getting me out of the hotel before you burned it down."

"T'ch, yeah, whatever Bunny-Girl."

Totomaru was looking Lucy over. The critical eyes roving over her made her want to squirm. "What were you doing in a shitty place like this?"

Gajeel spoke up before Lucy had the chance to answer, "She said she was a mage, but she don't look like much."

"Pfhh, a mage? In a run-down shit hole like this? Must not be a very good one."

Lucy's face flushed red with anger. Her temper was an attribute of her that her father had never truly been able to nip in the bud. It was as bad as his, and that was saying something.

"I'll have you know that I was only staying in that crumb-hole because I spent most of my money from my last job on a new key." She held up Canis Minor like a trophy. "I am a perfectly fine mage, thank you, I've done loads of jobs while on the road."

"Oh yeah, like what?" Totomaru asked as he threw his orb of fire at the run down hotel behind them. Despite being close to the shoreline, the timber of the hotel when up in flames as if it had been covered in accelerant.

Lucy's face burned a deeper shade of red as she crossed her arms over her chest and stuck out her lower lip in a pout. "So I haven't done anything super awesome, but that's only because I haven't joined a guild yet. I'm on my way to Oak Town to see the requirements for joining the Phantom Lord guild." Lucy stuck her nose up in the air, channeling every bit of her pretentious upbringing in order to look better or cooler than the two gentlemen standing with her.

Totomaru started laughing. The blaze of the hotel behind him giving him a demonic glow as he doubled over clutching his stomach. "You? Join," Haha, "Ph-phan-tom," HAH, "Lord! NEVER! Jose would never let a little whisp of a girl like you in."

Gajeel was looking the young girl over again. She seemed to pure to be wanting to join Phantom Lord on purpose. "Why Phantom Lord and not some other guild?" his gruff voice rumbled, cutting off Totomaru's laughing.

"You can't be serious Gaj! Look at her!"

Lucy looked at Gajeel, hope shining in her eyes. "They are just one of the coolest. I read about them all the time in Sorceror Weekly! The Element Four team is featured all the time, it is a shame they would pose for a photoshoot, though. I'm not sure about the master, he seems a little out there, but the members seem awesome!" The blonde was rambling, but she didn't care. She was so excited about getting to Oak Town and seeing the guild for herself, it didn't matter what she was saying.

When her rambling died off for a moment Lucy's eyes went wide as she took another look at Totomaru. "To-to...maru?! That's why I know that name!" She jumped up and down in excitement. "You're the fire element of the Element Four!" She stuck her hand out to shake the man's hand. "Oh my god, this is so cool. To think I was staying in a hotel you burned down. Eeek!"

Totomaru looked at her outstretched hand and then glanced at Gajeel to see his reaction. The little shit was grinning like the monster he was. The fire mage glanced back to the girl who was still spouting off facts she'd read about in magazines about his guild and guildmates. Her hand still waiting for his to join with it in a friendly greeting.

"Go on Toto, shake Bunny Girl's hand," Gajeel said barely holding in his own chuckle.

The mage slowly reached out and lightly gripped the small hand that was offered to him. His eye widened at her strong grip and handshake. Who was this kid? He met her shining brown eyes and was trapped as they lit up with joy and a disarming smile spread across her face.

"Come on kid, we'll take ya home," Gajeel said.


	4. Not Alone

They were walking to Oak Town. Lucy would have complained, loudly, if Gajeel hadn't given her that look. It was the "shut up and get your ass moving" look that, coupled with his red eyes, had the little blonde bowing to his desire without much fuss. Her reaction had Totomaru giggling like a schoolgirl.

"Oh man Gaj, I think ya scared the princess outta her!"

Lucy huffed and crossed her arms, mumbling something obscene under her breath. The words were all gibberish to Totomaru, but whatever she'd said made Gajeel grin like Christmas had come early.

"Ya better watch it, Toto. The girls got some sass."

The fire mage shrugged. He lit a fist on fire and formed the flame into a ball. He threw it up into the air and quickly repeated the process two more times. Lucy was stunned as the judgmental man started to juggle his magic. When he missed catching a fireball, he was able to thwart it from hitting into the ground by, well, she wasn't sure how, but the ball would fly back up into the air as if he hadn't missed it at all. It clicked together in her brain and she was in awe.

"You can control your magic using telekinesis," Lucy whispered. Before Totomaru could confirm or deny the statement, the girl was off. "That is so awesome. I've wanted to learn to call my keys using telepathic powers, but I haven't quite figured it out yet. My dad said magic was worthless and he usually hid my keys from me so I never got to practice much. It's one of the reasons I ran away. Can you teach me how you do it? That would be amazing! To learn something from one of the Element Four!"

Totomaru dropped all of his fireballs. They puffed out of existence after making contact with the dirt pathway. He wasn't sure if he should be annoyed or flattered. The girl just kept going and the innocent smile that crossed her lips was like a ray of light in the middle of the woods where they were traveling. It was… unusual.

"Bunny girl…" The girl kept talking. She was now going through different methods she had tried to bind her keys to her keyring, all of which had failed. Gajeel grunted annoyed. "BUNNY!"

Lucy startled. "Huh?"

"Will ya shut up for a moment. Yer giving me a headache!"

"Oh," she whispered. "Sorry, Gajeel."

"Ya whatever."

The trio walked in silence for the rest of the night. Lucy was falling asleep on her feet. Feet that ached from walking in stupid boots that were made more for fashion than for hiking across half of Fiore. She was nervous, however, about speaking up. Gajeel seemed to like the silence and she wanted him to like her. Totomaru was back to juggling balls of fire. She wondered if he did it to help light the way or because he was bored. Maybe both. She was grateful for it though. She never did like the dark, and traveling on the road at night made her uncomfortable, to say the least. At least she wasn't alone this time.

She glanced at her companions and smiled. Nope. She wasn't alone this time.


	5. Someone Needed

They finally stopped to camp when Gajeel's stomach rumbled like an oncoming train. They weren't near a town, so they were planning to camp out. Lucy shuddered. She would be sleeping on the ground. With the bugs. On the bright side, it wasn't a bed of cockroaches.

Lucy helped gather rocks to place in a circle for the fire pit. Gajeel walked off into the woods without saying a word to anyone. Totomaru, after a brief walk, came back and threw down a bunch of sticks and small logs, arranged them in the pit Lucy had created, and then set them alight.

Lucy laid her hard-case suitcase down and used it as a seat. She was wearing a skirt and thong. The idea of grass and bugs crawling against her bare cheeks was disgusting. The warmth of the fire washed over her. She had never really camped out like this before. She'd always managed to make enough money to either sleep in a room or on the train while she traveled. It was nice, even if a bit uncomfortable.

Totomaru sat relaxed opposite to her, playing with bits of the flame. He'd draw out a wisp of fire, his fingers would dance in an intricate way, and the fire would dance too. The orange and red flame changing shape and flickered in the dark. It was memorizing to the inexperienced Celestial Mage.

Lucy absently started running her fingers along the cool metal of her keys. After a few thoughtless moments, her brain snapped to attention as she remembered her new Canis Minor key. A smile bloomed across her face and she quickly pulled her new key off her key ring. She giggled in excitement as she stood and stepped back from the fire pit. Took a wide stance and called upon her reservoir of magic.

"I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate! Canis Minor: Nikora!" A yellow magic circle appeared at Lucy's feet and golden dust flew around her in a phantom wind as the sound of a doorbell chimed. The light was blinding in the night, but the effects of it seemed to not bother the young spirit summoner.

Totomaru, however, was temporarily blinded and totally missed the tiny snowman pop into existence at the blonde's feet. Gajeel, who was just reentering the clearing where they were setting up camp with three small field dressed rabbits held out by the feet, had to blink several times before his sensitive eyes could see again.

"What the hell was that, Bunny Girl?"

"I think I'm blind," Totomaru stated blandly. Only a small tint of panic in his voice. He was rubbing at his eyes in an attempt to spark some sort of vision out of them, but currently, no success was to be had.

"Oh my god he's so cute!" Lucy cooed, ignoring the two men in her group and sweeping down to lift the small dog spirit up into her embrace. She snuggled the little spirit and rubbed her cheek against its face. She held the little thing away from her for a moment and smiled brightly at the spirit. "My name is Lucy and I would love if you made a contract with me, is that okay?"

"What the hell is that thing?" Gajeel yelled, trying to get his new companion's attention. He approached her, still holding out the carcasses that he'd hunted down for dinner in his left hand. Between his height, dark clothing, piercings, and glaring red eyes there was no doubt he was an intimidating force.

Lucy turned a dark glare to the black-haired man. Gajeel gulped. Whatever light she generally gave off was clouded in a cloud of spite. "He is not a thing he is a spirit! This is Canis Minor from the Celestial World and he is here to be my friend," the blonde huffed. She turned back to the white snowman and cooed, "Don't worry, he won't hurt you. I won't let him." The poor spirit had been shaking like a leaf when Gajeel had approached, but at the small blonde's reassurance, he calmed.

"Now. What days are you available?" Lucy plucked a notebook out of thin air and started listing the days of the week. She asked a yes or no question for each day and marked which one's the spirit agreed to.

"Can he understand ya?" Gajeel asked cautiously as he stripped sticks of their bark and set the rabbit over the fire to cook.

Lucy looked up, her eyes wide and kind, "Of course!" She turned back to the spirit and asked another question, "Would you mind if I called you out just to keep me company on the days you're available." The tiny dog nodded and jumped around. Lucy giggled and wrote more notes in her notebook. "Thank you! Would you like to go home now?" The snowman wiggled around, and Lucy smiled and waved the silver key and the spirit vanished.

Totomaru was finally started to see vague outlines of the world again, "Could ya not do that again! My eyes feel like they were burned by the sun!"

"Uh, sorry," Lucy whispered.

"What kind of magic was that, anyway?" the fire mage asked.

Lucy perked up, "Celestial Magic of course!"

"What the hell is that?"

"Oh well, you see, I can summon spirits from the Celestial Word here to Earth Land. Some spirits like to fight and help me when I have to defend myself, others have different talents. Like Canis Minor, or the little dog, is a spirit that Celestial mages usually have as companions or pets."

"And that's what your keys are for?" Totomaru surmised.

"Yes! There are all kinds of different keys that represent different spirits. The silver keys are for common spirits, like Canis Minor. I have Holorgium the clock, Lyria the harp, Crux the southern cross, and now Canis Minor who I think I'll name Plue!"

Lucy cheerily continued on. "Then there are gold keys. They are super rare. While there may be more than one silver key for a specific type of spirit, the gold keys are one of a kind. They call one of the Zodiac spirits. The Zodiac spirits are generally more powerful than the silver keys, and there are only 12 of them. I have Aquarius, Taurus, and Cancer." Lucy glanced up at the starry sky and smiled. "I love being outside at night! Then I can see all my friends even without summoning them!"

Gajeel and Totomaru glanced at each other. The girl was very enthusiastic, and maybe a little eccentric. Her magic was pretty amazing and unique, though. Neither of them had ever seen anything like it. The more they learned about her, the less it made sense for her to join Phantom Lord, but now that they found her, neither was truly willing to give her up. Her presence triggered something in the two mages that flared warmly and softened the rough edges Jose Porla had sharpened for nefarious purposes. They nodded to each other in silent agreement. She would stay. They needed her.


	6. Bring the Sunshine

They arrived in Oak Town two days later without any trouble. Lucy looked around in awe. While she had been traveling for the last year on her own, she had never made it this far north. The city was built in neat rows among rolling foothills and then in spiraling roads, the buildings continued all the way up to the top of a mountain. A river divided the foothills and Guildhall from the city proper and a forest of pine wrapped around the whole of it, crossing the river, and stretching beyond the city limits.

Phantom Lord guildhall looked like a castle fortress from her childhood storybooks. The stone was gray and cold, the only color coming from the green roofing and the flag with the guild symbol stitched in purple.

"This is the central guildhall," Totomaru spoke as they closed the distance to the front gates. "We have branches in just about every town in Fiore, but this is where the major players all live."

"So how many members are in Phantom Lord?" Lucy wondered. "Just how big of a guild it is?"

Totomaru answered all business, "Not as many as it sounds. Each branch has only 10 to 15 mages stationed there. Their purpose is to make sure we have a general idea of the goings-on in Fiore."

Gajeel's forearm came to a rest on Lucy's head. He had come to really enjoy how small she was in comparison to himself and never missed an opportunity to accentuate the different. "Don't worry your head, Bunny Girl. We'll get 'cha set up here at the main branch."

"I wasn't worried," the blonde huffed. "Get off!" She shook her head back and forth trying to dislodge the heavy limb from her head, but he moved smoothly with her.

Gajeel laughed and then pointed to his nose, "Ya can't hide from me, Bunny."

Lucy looked at him confused before trying to shake him off her head again.

Totomaru chuckled. "When she's all irritated like that she looks adorable, don't ya think Gaj?" Their eyes met above her head and Gajeel smirked in reply.

They were closing in on the gate. Lucy reached out to push it open, but her hand was blocked by the fire mage. "Now before we go in…" he looked down his nose at her, radiating seriousness. He waited until Lucy's full attention was centered on him. He nodded towards the guild then said, "Mages in Phantom Lord are not all sunshine and roses. Most are hard and quite."

Lucy's head tilted to the side and her eyebrows scrunched together, "So what are you saying?"

Totomaru sighed and ran his fingers through his two-toned bangs before answering, "What I'm saying is that they are going to look at you weird, but don't take it personal. Gaj and I will vouch for you and get you signed up for the admission tests. Don't be surprised if mister Iron Rod over here turns into dark and gloomy once we're inside. The guild master had forced a certain expectation on his S Class mages that make it hard for them to be anything but loners."

"Mister Iron Rod?" Lucy grinned. She did her best to look up at the tall man using her head as an armrest. "Can I call you that?"

"No." He glared for good measure, but it only made the blonde smile wider.

Totomaru snapped his fingers in front of her face, "Hey! HEY! Lucy!"

She batted his hand away and frowned at her new friend, "I get it. People will be doom and gloom and I gotta bring in the sunshine."

"What? No!" Totomaru looked panicked, "That's not what I said at all!"

Lucy rolled her eyes at the man and grinned, "This is going to be my home and I'm going to do everything I can to make it the best one there is."

Totomaru facepalmed and glanced at Gajeel through his fingers, "You're sure you wanna do this?"

"Eh, what harm can Bunny Girl do."

Famous. Last. Words.


	7. Yes, Her

The harm Bunny Girl could have done was minimized by the fact the Jose Porla, the Guild Master of Phantom Lord was absent for a meeting with a potential client. When Gajeel first opened the guild doors to let Lucy in, it went mostly unnoticed. The guild didn't get worked up about members coming and going. It wasn't until he'd made his way to the bar with the smiling blond in tow that the low chatter of the guild became a deafening silence. He couldn't blame them for their reaction. The fact that Gajeel had walked into the guildhall with Totomaru was odd enough for most people, but the fact that a real-life sunshine-and-roses girl followed him in, smiling like all her dreams had come true, was downright bizarre.

The barman was named Joey. A tall, sandy-haired man who was a low-level telepathy mage. He was organized and could tend bar well enough, so he was one of the few mages in the guild as hired help. Not to mention, the man was damn useful in gaining needed information just by being in the same room as other people.

The process for joining Phantom Lord was tiresome. It was that way on purpose so that mages who weren't serious about their craft would be quickly weeded out and kicked to the curb. Basically, someone who wanted to join had to be vouched for from a member in good standing. Then they were signed up for 4 trials that were designed by the Element Four and the other S Class mages in the guild. Once they passed all trials, Jose would "test" them. Sometimes Jose's tests were as simple as looking over a person and nodding in agreement, other times he would beat them to a pulp and see if they could stand back up. Those who did, joined, those who didn't … didn't. Gajeel figured if the girl made it through the four trials of the S-Class mages, then he'd vouch for her right to join the guild to Jose. Something about Bunny Girl brought out the protective big brother in him. Same as Juvia's sadness.

"Joey," Gajeel called to the barman.

The barman made his way over. His telepathy magic already telling him what Gajeel wanted. The man smiled slightly. This was going to be good. "What can I do for ya metal man?"

Gajeel rolled his eyes. Joey wanted him to vouch out loud. He wanted him to announce to the whole guild that Black Steel Gajeel, the Dragon Slayer and merciless manhunter, wanted to vouch for a smiley blonde to join the guild. He could see the merriment in Joey's eyes. A raise of his eyebrows and silent threat to end his capability to reproduce had Joey's perspective changing drastically.

"Is this a new potential member?" Gajeel moved silently to the side and then went to sit at a corner table. Joey would take care of things from here. Totomaru was staying close to the blonde in case someone said anything. She'd be fine. He had become more invested in the blonde than he'd meant to while they traveled from Hargeon to Oak Town. She was smart and funny, annoying as fuck, but beautiful and innocent. He wanted her to succeed.

"Hi! I'm Lucy!" Gajeel watched from afar as Lucy stuck her hand out to shake Joey's. Joey had been taken off guard. Anyone who knew the man knew that to touch him was a no-no. It amplified his ability to read a person's mind, and usually caused him migraines and nosebleeds. Gajeel looked to Totomaru who was also watching the scene with interest. Joey reached out his hand slowly and shook the Celestial Mage's.

Joey shuddered and Lucy tried to take her hand back, "Hey, are you okay? I'm sorry if I did something wrong! Oh god, Your nose is bleeding!" Lucy was able to rip her hand out of Joey's clutches, then jump up on the bar and slid to the other side. She ducked behind the counter for something and popped back up with a towel. "Here, let me help. I'm so sorry. Are you going to be okay?"

Joey was breathing hard and his cheeks were stained with tears. "I-I'll be okay in a bit. S-sorry about that." The barman tried to bat the fussing woman away, wiping the blood from his nose on to his dark grey shirt. "It's my own fault. I was curious as to what made Gajeel bring you here."

"Huh?" Lucy responded.

"I'm a telepathy mage…"

Lucy's eyes went wide as she gasped. "Oh my god, and I made you touch me! I'm so sorry. Let me get you some water!"

The busty blonde was bustling behind the bar top as she worked to find a cup and then when to the soda line and pushed the button for water. When the glass was full, she pushed it into his hand but was careful about not touching him.

Joey nodded in thanks. He understood now what Gajeel felt about the girl. She invoked the "big brother" response. A need to protect. He wanted her to stay for that reason, the same as Gajeel did. Joey looked up to meet the eyes of the watchful slayer and nodded in agreement. He'd sign her up for trials and get her settled. They'd keep her away from Jose for as long as possible. But they'd keep her. Gejeel nodded back, understanding.

Joey smiled at the young blonde who was still fussing around him. Wanting to help, but not wanting to make it worse from touching him accidentally. He appreciated that. He saw into her mind and knew that she was someone who would simultaneously fit in due to her past traumas, while also being the glue that would help mend the cracks and broken pieces of those around her. She was kind and light and everything missing in Phantom Lord.

"So, Lucy, you said?"

Lucy nodded.

A genuine smile broke over his face as he said, "I'll explain how joining Phantom Lord works."

Lucy lit up.

The silence that had been the guildhall was suddenly in an uproar as a chorus of "HER?!" echoed off the walls.

Gajeel couldn't help but smile while Totomaru just shook his head in vague disbelief that Joey had touched her. Yes. Things would be different around here, but most likely they would be a good different.


	8. We're Friends

**A/N:** If you have read Operation: Kidnap Lucy, I've dropped in an OC in this drabble that may or may not make your day.

The day was winding down. The outburst that occurred when she was first speaking with Joey had died down after a weird growling noise filled the hall. Lucy had looked around slightly startled by the noise. It had been so low and guttural, like a bear or lion. Where the hell had it come from? The effect it had on the rest of the guild members, however, was immediate. Each and every person sat down and quietly returned to what they were doing. It was entirely bizarre but she was quickly distracted by the event when the bartender captured her attention.

Joey had been reviewing the trials with her in detail. There would be four. One each day the following week. The S-Class mages would create unique trials for her to partake in. At least one would be non-magic combat and one would be magical combat. The others could vary to test anything from survival skills to testing intellect. Lucy thought that this was fair, but she was filled with nerves. She was skilled with a whip, and she could kick pretty good, but actual combat wasn't something she was skilled in. Magical combat she had minimal experience in. Taurus would be her best bet there, but Cancer had those wicked-looking scissors. Maybe he did combat too? She would have to call him out and ask if that was okay. More than likely she would have to make a plan on how to approach an opponent in either situation.

Lucy glanced around the guildhall. She wanted to take a look outside to see how late it was getting. She needed to find a place to stay until she could make enough money to rent an apartment. As she looked around, she noticed there were no windows.

"How depressing," the light mage murdered. "I wonder if they'd let me add a few?"

"Whatcha' mumbling about over here Bunny?" Gajeel interrupted. He slid onto a barstool next to Lucy and motioned to Joey to bring him something.

"Windows," the blonde said absently.

"T'ch, whadda about windows?"

She turned to look at the red-eyed man, "There are none."

He shrugged in response. "Jose's a bit of a doom-and-gloom man."

"We need some light in here. What time is it, anyway? I need to find a place to stay."

"I gotcha covered. Juvia!" he waved to a blue-haired girl holding an umbrella who'd just walked in the guild.

"Is it raining? Huh. It was so sunny when we came in this morning," Lucy pondered as she watched the pretty mage close her umbrella and shake off the rain. "She looks so serious. Do you think everything's okay?"

"Eh, she's always like that. Had a rough childhood," Gajeel supplied. He waved again, "Juvia! Come over here."

The girl looked towards Gajeel and cocked her head to the side. Lucy wasn't sure if it was a display of curiosity or thought, maybe hostility? It was hard to read what the stoic girl was thinking. Whatever it was, though, passed and Juvia slowly wandered her way through the guild hall tables and towards the bar where Gajeel and Lucy sat.

"Got a roommate for ya," Gajeel grinned when the blue-haired, blue-dressed, blue-everything, mage reached them.

"Gajeel-san found Juvia a roommate?"

Lucy looked between Gajeel and Juvia. This was how he had her covered? What if Juvia said no? She wanted to glare at the hulking pierced butt-head, but instead, she extended her hand to Juvia and said, "Hi! My name is Lucy! It's nice to meet you Juvia!" Lucy smile her brightest smile and waited for Juvia to respond.

Juvia glanced between Gajeel and Lucy. She seemed to study the outstretched hand for a good 10 seconds before she tentatively reached out her own small hand to shake.

Lucy's smile brightened if at all possible as she gripped Juvia in a strong business shake. Juvia's eyes widened a bit but returned the grip.

Lucy, not knowing how to take the quiet mage in front of her continued with her introduction, "I'm hoping to join Phantom Lord. My trials are set for next week, so I need a place to stay for a bit until I can make money and rent a place officially. I hope that it is okay if I stay with you until then."

Juvia looked to Gajeel again when she spoke, "Gajeel-san, agreed to her trials?"

"Totomaru too," Gajeel's head tilted towards the fire mage who was off joking around with fellow guildmate, Xavion.

Juvia nodded and then turned back to Lucy, "Juvia has an extra bedroom that Lucy-san can use until the trials are over."

Lucy stood in excitement and wrapped her arms around her new friend, Juvia, "Oh thank you Juvia! This means the world to me!" She let go of the surprised mage and did a small happy dance. Golden locks caught the dim lighting of the guildhall and sparkled as the small woman shook her body in a weird kind of boogey.

"A new guild, new friends, a place to stay!" Lucy squealed. "Thank you Gajeel!" Lucy hugged the man next to her just as Joey place a bowl of bolts down on the bar top for Gajeel.

Joey chuckled as Juvia ducked in cover. No one, not one person, had ever touch Gajee's person without bloody consequences. When nothing splattered across Juvia, she peered out of her hiding place behind a stool. Gajeel was rolling his eyes but tolerating the blonde who hugged him tightly.

"Yeah, yeah, Bunny Girl. Get off."

She let go and then did another jig.

"I think you might have made Lucy's day, Gajeel," Joey said before he left to take care of an order.

"Juvia has never seen anyone hug Gajeel-san before," Juvia said quietly. "Has Lucy-san cast a spell on Gajeel-san?"

"What?" Lucy gasped, stopping her jig. She started laughing. The sound seemed to echo off the walls of the guildhall and suddenly things were lighter. It was a sound rarely heard, and her's was like sunshine pouring through rainclouds. "A spell?! Aren't Charm Spell's like that illegal?"

Juvia looked a bit dazed. Gajeel was smiling oddly. Totomaru had stopped what he was doing to watch the blonde, his table-mate doing the same.

"Nah, Gajeel just likes me," Lucy said cheerily.

A few thumping sounds marked the fainting of guild members as they fell out of their seats.


	9. You're Famous

Lucy's jaw was hanging loose as her wide eyes roved around Juvia's apartment in awe, "This is your apartment?!"

The apartment was well constructed and roomy. The living room, dining area and kitchen had an open feel that allowed for the perception that this was a bigger area than it actually was. Juvia had tastefully decorated the place in light and dark blues along with sandy yellows, giving the casual observer the feel that they stepped away from the city and onto a beach. The look was completed with small palm-like mini-trees that were placed in different corners of each room. Lucy felt like she had stepped into an oasis and she immediately loved it. Aquarius may even like it. Maybe. Probably not. Stupid mermaid.

Juvia blushed as the blonde's excitement. Her voice was quiet as she muttered, "Juvia is an S-Class mage…"

"No way!" Lucy seemed to be calculating something in her head as she turned to stare down the beautiful blue-haired woman who was lending her a room. The gears were working slower today, but eventually, they clicked together and the celestial mage exclaimed, "YOU'RE THE WATER MAGE OF THE ELEMENT FOUR!"

Juvia wanted to feel annoyed, but the pure elation showing on her new roommate's face made it hard to do anything besides blush a little deeper. "Juvia wonders if Lucy-san will calm down?"

"Calm down?! Juvia, you're famous! I'm staying with a famous wizard! The water woman!" Lucy could barely contain her enthusiasm as she bobbed around on her toes. "And your apartment is a gorgeous beach!" Lucy rambled on, "I never thought I would meet the Element Four, let alone stay with one of them. Totomaru was so cool too, and now I get to know Juvia. It's so cool to see such a strong woman as a top mage in such a prestigious guild. I hope I can be like that one day."

Juvia was feeling slightly dizzy with Lucy's display and was contemplating telling Gajeel he could take the excitable woman to his own damn apartment. Juvia was not ready to handle someone like this in her life. She was the rain woman, used to the quiet sound of dripping water as it dropped down onto and then cascaded off of her umbrella. She was used to being ignored or taunted, made fun of. She was not ready to handle the bouncing woman who was now proclaiming that they were going to be the best of friends. Juvia wasn't sure if she needed or wanted any friends. Gajeel was her friend. The Element Four were tolerable. The others in the guild were ignorable.

"Juvia will show Lucy-san to her room now," the water woman interrupted louder than she had previously.

Lucy immediately calmed as she noticed Juvia's tone of voice was hard and her eyes narrowed in annoyance. Her posture was stiff and closed off. The brown-eyed blonde felt a surge of guilt run through her. She had made her new roommate uncomfortable. She had been so excited, and her emotions had a tendency to burst when she was in a place of relative safety. It was leftover side effect of living as a Lady in the Heartfilia household. After lessons and drills on keeping her emotions inside, there were occasions when it all burst out of her uncontrollably. She wasn't the kind of person to hide who she was or how she felt. The freedom of being away from her father's estate sometimes allowed her emotions to get away from her. She should know better. She probably scared poor Juvia away before they even got a chance to get to know each other.

Head bowed with an apology, Lucy stated solemnly, "I apologize, Juvia. I shouldn't have gotten so worked up. Sometimes I let my mouth get away from me."

Juvia blinked. She was rather stunned at the woman's 180 from being an excitable child to a responsible adult. She nodded accepting the apology and simply added, "Juvia is not used to having company. Juvia is used to the quiet."

Lucy's eyes were wide as she looked back up to meet the face of her new friend. Her arms reflectively waved in surrender in front of her face, "I'm sorry for intruding. I'll stay out of your hair from now on, promise!"

Juvia seemed to smile at that as she turned to lead the blonde down the hallway just off the kitchen area to the left. There were four doors in the hall, Juvia pointed to the first and indicated that it was a closet, while the door across from it was the bathroom. The two doors at the end of the hall and across from each other were the bedrooms. Juvia's was on the right, Lucy would be allowed to stay in the room on the left.

Juvia mumbled apologies after opening the bedroom door and realizing the bed was bare of sheets, pillows, and blankets. She rushed to the closet and started searching for extras of everything only to come up short pillows and anything more than a simple throw blanket.

"Juvia is sorry Lucy-san, I don't have everything ready to host a guest on such short notice."

As if the universe had a timer that was set to help Lucy at this moment, a hard knock sounded through the apartment from the front door.

"Excuse me, Lucy-san, I'll just see…"

The door opened and a gruff voice called, "Oi, Juvia, I bought some shit for Bunny Girl. Thought ya might need it."

"Gajeel!" Lucy called and the man in question appeared caring bags that were brimming with everything from pillows to carrots.

"How did Gajeel-san get in?" Juvia questioned. Her eyes were wider than their normal bored slant.

"Door was open," the man shrugged. "Since I dumped Bunny Girl here on ya, I thought I would at least pick up some essentials to help ya out."

"Aw, Gajeel, you're so sweet," Lucy cooed at the heavily pierced, angry-looking giant currently crowding the hallway.

"Don't go saying things like that out loud!" Gajeel barked in return as he turned back to the kitchen grumbling about instincts, which Lucy understood none of.

"Juvia is confused," the water woman seemed frozen as she stared after her fellow guildmate. What on earth happened to Gajeel to make him… Sweet?


End file.
